A bumpy road in Nicolas Valley

Many of you may be surprised to learn that there are still areas
of Temecula lacking asphalt, which is no fault of city
leadership.

Most of this area was considered rural in 1989 when the city
incorporated. Then and now, Riverside County's attitude has been,
"go ahead and build those houses and we will deal with the lack of
roads later." The charm of rustic living is very appealing -- up to
the point where your house is burning and a firetruck is a short
distance away, spinning its wheels in the mud.

As tract homes swallowed up much of Temecula, residents in the
area known as Nicolas Valley have enjoyed the freedom and isolation
that come with 2.5-acre lots. Some property owners built homes and
acquired horses for their modest rancheros, while some opted for
the speed, convenience and economy of manufactured housing. Others
bought property envisioning that they would eventually build the
home of their dreams.

Time and growth have wedged owners of undeveloped property in
Nicolas Valley between a dirt road and a hard surface. Changes in
state fire codes and the interpretation by local fire authorities
now require paved roads in order for the city to issue building
permits for new structures, or even room additions.

Riverside County still allows landowners serviced by dirt roads
to build, but the allowable fire department response time is up to
30 minutes, compared with Temecula's goal of 5 minutes. The city
has led the way in adopting technology to decrease response times,
and county fire services are rapidly following the city's lead of
installing Global Positioning Satellite and Geographic Information
Systems technology in emergency response vehicles. All this modern
navigational technology cannot overcome an impassable road, though
it can sometimes provide an alternative route.

Last Monday, city staff organized a well-attended meeting with
residents of Nicolas Valley to discuss the new requirements and
possible solutions. The meeting left everybody more informed, but
no course of action was decided. Each landowner is affected
differently, making a single remedy challenging.

Assessment districts are often the answer to provide
infrastructure such as roads and drainage. Residents in newer areas
pay into assessment districts, also known as Mello-Roos, to pay for
roads and other infrastructure required with the development of new
housing tracts. These special taxes are disclosed to buyers before
they purchase a home.

An assessment district after the fact can be formed by a
majority vote of affected property owners to provide needed
infrastructure, but this remedy presents a varying degree of
individual hardship. To the retiree living on a fixed income, dirt
roads are preferable to a new tax they may not be able to afford.
Those who own undeveloped land off an unpaved road await some
resolution before they can build their homes.

Nicolas Valley residents could also form their own association
to build and maintain roads, which they could probably do cheaper
than the city, but that is a daunting task among a variety of
homeowners with different goals and circumstances.

Whatever solution is ultimately found, the journey to replace
the dirt roads of Nicolas Valley is sure to be a bumpy ride.